Mining machine



D. R. MCCULLOUGH 2,111,670

MINING MACHINE March 22, 1938.

Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Ill: ll llllllllrt Inventor By m Aitornezjs V March 22, 1938.

D. R. MOCULLOUGH 2,111,670

MINING MACHINE Filed Dec. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4 F W"? z y w 5 '75 X k I 6 9 .-z4

A tiorne ys Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2 Claims.

This invention relates to mining machines and an object of the invention is to provide a machine particularly adapted for mining coal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coal mining machine for use in cutting a vertical kerf or groove into a wall of the mine so that the mining operation can be performed with a minimum amount of labor and time.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description. taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the mining machine.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View therethrough taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view showing details hereinafter more fully referred to.

Figures. 4, 5, and 6 are detail sectional views taken substantially on the lines 44, 5-5, and 5-6respectively of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a plan View of a bearing member and V Figure 8 is a View of an'anchoring member parts of the same being broken away and shown in section.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals it will be seen that in the preferred embodie ment thereof the mining machine comprises a supporting frame consisting of an oblong plate 5 one side of which, adjacent its upper and lower ends is provided with grooves 6 for accommodating guide runners i-'| which may be suitably supported in vertically spaced relation within the mine through the medium of any suitable anchoring means and which members are generally connected at one end through the medium of a bar or the like 8. The members 1 and 8 thus provide means for guiding the aforementioned frame when it is desired to shift the same toward or away from the wall in which a kerf is being cut.

The aforementioned frame further includes top and bottom end plates 9, secured to the plate 5 as at H and these plates 9 and Ill support therebetween in parallelism to the plate 5 and in spaced parallel relation to one another guide rails l2.

For securing the frame in set position within the mine there is screwed into the lower member 10 a pointed anchoring prong l3 adapted to be forced into the floor of the mine While threaded into the upper member 9 is a threaded shank or stem 14 on which is threaded the socketed end of a handle equipped pointed anchoring prong l5 that is adapted to be threaded axially relative to the stem M to be forced into the ceiling of the mine as will be clear from a study of Figure l.

Mounted on the aforementioned frame to move vertically along the guide rails I2 is a carriage indicated generally by the reference numeral 16.

The carriage It comprises a top plate to the under side of which is secured as at 13 a relatively narrow guide block 19.

The guide block 19 is accommodated Within grooves 2!! provided in one longitudinal edge of spaced parallel bearing blocks 2! and the grooves of the blocks 2! are of such a length as to also accommodate therein the guide rails 12 as shown in Figure 5. The bearing blocks 2! are secured to the plate 19 as at'ZZ.

At their opposite longitudinal edges the bearing blocks 2i are also'provided with grooves 23 which accommodate a spacer plate 24 to which the blocks H are secured as at 25. of a. width corresponding to the width of the frame plate 5 so that at opposite ends of the grooves the bearing blocks 2| extend downwardly to engage the side edges of the plate 5 so that the latter also acts as a guide for the carriage 16. It will thus be seen that the carriage I6 is mounted on the frame to move vertically therealong and is. positively retained on the frame against separation therefrom.

The bearing blocks 2| have journaled therein shafts 26 and these shafts on one end are squared as at 21 so that a suitable cutting tool, such as an auger, reamer, or kerf making tool, the latter being shown in the drawings and is indicated by the reference numeral 28 may be readily engaged at one end with a selected shaft 26.

Both of the shafts 26 at the ends thereof remote from the squared portions 21 are provided with sprockets 29 over which is trained a chain 30 that is also trained over a sprocket mounted on one end of the armature shaft of an electric motor 3!. The electric motor 3| is suitably mounted on the carriage through the medium of a bracket structure 32. Thus it will be seen that drive is transmitted from the motor 3| to the shafts for turning the tool associated with either or both of the shafts.

To permit the carriage IE to move to the extreme end of the main frame 4, the bearing blocks 2! on the outer sides thereof are grooved as at 33 to accommodate the end plates 9 and 10 of said main frame 4.

For shifting the carriage l6 longitudinally of the main frame 1, there is provided an actuating screw 34 provided on one end with a handle 35 The plate 24 is 20 and at its respective opposite end with a ball 36 to engage a suitable socket structure 3'! that is adapted to be secured to a selected one of the plates 9 and ID of main frame 4. Also for the screw 34 there is provided a block 38 adapted. to be detachably secured on the plate I 1 of carriage I6 at either the upper or lower edge thereof and this block 38 is provided with a threaded bore 39 through which the screw 34 works for shifting the carriage lengthwise of the frame 4.

From the above, it will be seen that in initiating the vertical kerf in the wall of the mine the tool 28 is secured on the squared end of the lowermost shaft 26 and the socket member 31 is mounted on the lower plate ll] of the frame 4. Thus by turning the screw 34 in the proper direction the carriage l6 will be caused to move upwardly for cutting the lower half-length of the kerf.

After the lower half-length of the kerf has been cut the tool 28 is transferred to the uppermost shaft 26 while the socket member 3'! is secured to the upper plate 9 and the block 38 secured to the plate I! of the carriage at the upper edge of the plate. In other Words, the screw 34, socket 31 and block 38 are reversely positioned with respect to the position of the mentioned elements as illustrated in Figure 1. When this rearrangement of the parts has been accomplished the screw 34 is then turned for causing the carriage Hi to travel upwardly to the uppermost end of the frame 4 so that the tool 28 now associated with the uppermost shaft 26 will cut the upper half-length of the kerf completing the kerf cutting operation. When, because of the distance from the floor to the ceiling of the mine room an extension of the anchoring member I3 is required, resort may be had to an anchoring member 40 shown in Figure 8 and which at one end is provided with a socket 4| for receiving the anchoring member l3.

It is thought that a clear understanding of the construction, utility and advantages of an invention of this character will be had without a more detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A mining machine comprising a main frame, means for anchoring the frame in a mine room perpendicularly, a carriage mounted on the frame for movement there-along, a tool shaft journaled on the carriage, driving means on the carriage in connection with the shaft for driving the latter, means connected with the carriage and with the main frame for shifting the carriage vertically along the main frame, said means including a socket member adapted to be mounted on the main frame at either its upper or lower end optionally, a block adapted to be mounted on the carriage and provided with a threaded bore and an actuated screw threaded through the bore of the block and having a ball head at one end to engage in said socket.

2. A mining machine for drilling a vertical kerf in a mine Wall and comprising a frame adapted to be secured perpendicular within a mine room, means provided at the upper and lower ends respectively of the frame for anchoring the same in position, a carriage mounted on the frame for movement there along, vertically spaced upper and lower shafts mounted on the carriage transversely thereof and respectively provided at one end for the attachment of a kerf-cutting tool thereto, said shafts being provided at the ends thereof remote from the kerf cutting tool with sprockets, a bracket mounted on the carriage, a motor supported on the carriage and having a shaft equipped with a sprocket, and a chain trained over all of said sprockets for transmitting power from the motor to the shaft, and means for shifting the carriage along said frame and for retaining the carriage at the desired position of adjustment on the frame.

DAVID R. McCULLOUGH 

